No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on October 28, 2018

Sticks and Stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me-playground chant

Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?-Henry II

I am angry about the events of this week. I mourn for the lives lost. I am furious that those whose words set these events into motion are pretending that they hold no responsibility for the actions of those who would harm and kill others in their name. Maybe not as directly as Henry’s overheard words did but still they said things in public that made it OK for others to carry out what they said.

My rule for words I use when it comes to anything I say on the Internet are few but set in stone.

I attach my name to it in that I don’t use cute handles to say things. I do say things as Puppetmaker40 on various social media platforms but it can be easily traced back to me and I have been using the handle for 15 years now. Google Puppetmaker40 and you get me except the flickr account, which I have no idea who has that one.

I say on the Internet what I would say to a person’s face or on a panel at a convention or in public.

If I find myself not in a good place, I wait before I comment or post on the Internet.

As Craig Ferguson put it,

3 questions to ask yourself before you speak…
1. Does this need to be said.
2. Does this need to be said by me.
3. Does this need to be said by me NOW!”

And just for the record after saying something the phrase “Oh I didn’t mean it” or “I didn’t mean it like that” is not a get out of the situation free card. Nor is “you need a sense of humor” although there are occasions that phrase is acceptable so that’s not an absolute.

It seems impossible to having meaningful dialogue these days. The art of the debate is dead. It seems to come down to who can shout the loudest and longest ‘wins’. Then there is the whole morass of false equivalencies and other tools used to silence voices.

I never though it possible to gaslight a nation but here we are with guns and bombs being used to ‘make a point’ based on the words of people who are very loud.

For those of you who haven’t heard the term ‘gaslight’

Gaslight- (verb) manipulate (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity.

And there has been a lot of that going on these days.

I am saddened by all this.

I have gotten to the point that I cannot even watch the political commentary shows because it just makes me too angry.

Reading the paper makes me cry from frustration that a loud few are drowning out anything the rest of us say.

I weep for my country and the political and social climate I find myself in.

There are times that I can’t find the right words to express myself. There are times that I don’t express myself because I feel like what I have to say has been said elsewhere much more eloquently that I can ever say.

I am tired of the people who have decided that their life’s work is tearing people down and making them feel bad aka trolls and trolling.

I am tired of people saying that others are just too sensitive but when called on their behavior they turn into the biggest ‘snowflakes’ that one has ever seen.

I am tired of people being dismissed with cute acronyms.

I am just so tired of words not having any meaning.

No, I take that back.

I am tired of being dismissed because I have no meaning or can be put side with a few choice acronyms as not important to the discussion.

I am tired of people not taking responsibly for what they say.

I am tired of the hiding behind fake names.

I am tired of people saying things on the Internet they would never say in the public square or to someone’s face.

Words have meaning. They have always and will always have meaning.

I will continue to put my name to my words and take responsibility for what I say.
I just wish others would do the same.

I am grateful for those who stand behind what they say and do not hide.

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